Near field transducers (NFTS) and methods of making

ABSTRACT

Methods of forming a NFT the methods including forming a hard mask positioned over at least a portion of the rod, the hard mask including at least one layer; patterning a resist mask over the hard mask, the resist mask having an edge positioned over at least a portion of the rod; etching a portion of the hard mask to expose a back edge of the rod and to form a back edge of the hard mask, wherein the back edge of the rod is equivalent to the back edge of the peg; and wherein a forward portion of the rod which is the portion of the rod forward of the back edge is covered by the hard mask; forming a disc mask including a void configured to form a disc of a NFT, the disc mask being formed over at least a portion of the hard mask so that the exposed back edge of the rod is within the void configured to form the disc; etching an area exposed in the void of the disc mask to remove both a rear portion of the rod and the surrounding dielectric up to the back edge of the hard mask edge; depositing a disc material in the etched void, wherein the back edge of the hard mask defines the front edge of the disc and the back edge of the rod is in contact with the front edge of the disc; and polishing the deposited disc material to form a top surface substantially planar with the top of the forward rod portion.

PRIORITY

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.62/167,320 entitled, NEAR FIELD TRANSDUCERS (NFTS) AND ASSOCIATEDSTRUCTURES, filed on May 28, 2015 the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference thereto.

SUMMARY

Disclosed are methods of forming a NFT, the NFT including a disc and apeg, the peg being a portion of a rod, the method including forming therod, the rod substantially surrounded on the sides by a dielectricmaterial, the rod including the peg; forming a hard mask positioned overat least a portion of the rod, the hard mask including at least onelayer; patterning a resist mask over the hard mask, the resist maskhaving an edge positioned over at least a portion of the rod; etching aportion of the hard mask to expose a back edge of the rod and to form aback edge of the hard mask, wherein the back edge of the rod isequivalent to the back edge of the peg; and wherein a forward portion ofthe rod which is the portion of the rod forward of the back edge iscovered by the hard mask; forming a disc mask including a voidconfigured to form a disc of a NFT, the disc mask being formed over atleast a portion of the hard mask so that the exposed back edge of therod is within the void configured to form the disc; etching an areaexposed in the void of the disc mask to remove both a rear portion ofthe rod and the surrounding dielectric up to the back edge of the hardmask edge; depositing a disc material in the etched void, wherein theback edge of the hard mask defines the front edge of the disc and theback edge of the rod is in contact with the front edge of the disc; andpolishing the deposited disc material to form a top surfacesubstantially planar with the top of the forward rod portion.

Also disclosed are methods of forming a NFT, the NFT including a discand a peg, the peg being a portion of a rod, the method includingforming the rod, the rod substantially surrounded on the sides by adielectric material, the rod including the peg; forming a hard maskpositioned over at least a portion of the rod, the hard mask includingat least one layer; patterning a resist mask over the hard mask, theresist mask having an edge positioned over at least a portion of therod; etching a portion of the hard mask to expose a back edge of the rodand to form a back edge of the hard mask, wherein the back edge of therod is equivalent to the back edge of the peg; and wherein a forwardportion of the rod which is the portion of the rod forward of the backedge is covered by the hard mask; forming a disc mask including a voidconfigured to form a disc of a NFT, the disc mask being formed over atleast a portion of the hard mask so that the exposed back edge of therod is within the void configured to form the disc; etching an areaexposed in the void of the disc mask to remove both a rear portion ofthe rod and the surrounding dielectric up to the back edge of the hardmask edge; forming a barrier layer adjacent at least the back edge ofthe rod; depositing a disc material in the etched void, wherein the backedge of the hard mask defines the front edge of the disc and the backedge of the rod is in contact with the front edge of the disc; andpolishing the deposited disc material to form a top surfacesubstantially planar with the top of the forward rod portion.

Also disclosed are devices having air bearing surfaces (ABS), thedevices including a NFT, the NFT including a disc having a front edgepositioned towards the ABS of the device and an opposing back edge and atop surface and an opposing bottom surface; and a peg having a frontsurface adjacent the ABS of the device and an opposing back surface anda top surface and an opposing bottom surface, wherein the bottom surfaceof the peg is from about 5 nm to 20 nm above the bottom surface of thedisc.

The above summary of the present disclosure is not intended to describeeach disclosed embodiment or every implementation of the presentdisclosure. The description that follows more particularly exemplifiesillustrative embodiments. In several places throughout the application,guidance is provided through lists of examples, which examples can beused in various combinations. In each instance, the recited list servesonly as a representative group and should not be interpreted as anexclusive list.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a hard drive slider and media arrangementaccording to an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a read/write head according to anillustrative embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a near field transducer according to anillustrative embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a near field transducer according to anillustrative embodiment.

FIGS. 5A to 5C are diagrams of illustrative disclosed NFTs.

FIGS. 6A to 6I depict structures during a disclosed illustrative processflow and FIG. 6J illustrates a possible resultant structure.

FIGS. 7A to 7I depict structures during a disclosed illustrativeprocess.

FIGS. 8A to 8D show an illustrative process flow for forming an optionalbarrier layer.

FIGS. 9A to 9E show another illustrative process flow for forming anoptional barrier layer.

FIGS. 10A to 10D show another illustrative process flow for forming anoptional barrier layer.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are perspective diagrams illustrating different backsurfaces of the peg that can be incorporated into disclosed NFTs formedherein.

The figures are not necessarily to scale. Like numbers used in thefigures refer to like components. However, it will be understood thatthe use of a number to refer to a component in a given figure is notintended to limit the component in another figure labeled with the samenumber.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure generally relates to data storage devices thatutilize heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR), also referred to asenergy-assisted magnetic recording (EAMR), thermally-assisted magneticrecording (TAMR), and thermally-assisted recording (TAR). Thistechnology uses an energy source such as a laser to create a smallhotspot on a magnetic media during recording. The heat lowers magneticcoercivity at the hotspot, allowing a write transducer to changemagnetic orientation, after which the hotspot is allowed to rapidlycool. Due to the relatively high coercivity of the medium after cooling,the data is less susceptible to data errors due to thermally-induced,random fluctuation of magnetic orientation known as the paramagneticeffect.

A laser or other energy source may be directly (e.g., surface-attached)or indirectly (e.g., via optical fiber) coupled to a HAMR read/writehead. An optical path (e.g., waveguide) is integrated into theread/write head and delivers the light to a media-facing surface of theread/write head. Because the size of the desired hotspot (e.g., 50 nm orless) is smaller than half a wavelength of the laser light (e.g.,800-1550 nm), conventional optical focusers (e.g., lenses) arediffraction limited and cannot be used to focus the light to create thehotspot. Instead, a near-field transducer (NFT) is employed to directenergy out of the read/write head. The NFT may also be referred to as aplasmonic transducer, plasmonic antenna, near-field antenna, nano-disc,nano-patch, nano-rod, etc.

Generally, the NFT is formed by depositing a thin-film of material suchas gold, silver, copper, etc., near an integrated optics waveguide orsome other delivery system. When exposed to laser light that isdelivered via the waveguide, the light generates a surface plasmon fieldon the NFT. The NFT is shaped such that the surface plasmons aredirected out of a surface of the write head onto a magnetic recordingmedium.

Due to the intensity of the laser light and the small size of the NFT,the NFT and surrounding material are subject to a significant rise intemperature during writing. Over time, this can affect the integrityand/or reliability of the NFT, for example, causing it to becomemisshapen or recess. Other events, such as contact between theread/write head and recording medium, contamination, etc., may alsodegrade the operation of the NFT and nearby optical components.Degradation of the NFT will affect the effective service life of a HAMRread/write head. In view of this, methods and apparatuses describedherein are used to increase the thermal robustness of the NFT, such asat a peg that extends towards the recording media.

In reference now to FIG. 1, a block diagram shows a side view of aread/write head 102 according to an example embodiment. The read/writehead 102 may be used in a magnetic data storage device, e.g., HAMR harddisc drive. The read/write head 102 may also be referred as a slider,write head, read head, recording head, etc. The read/write head 102 iscoupled to an arm 104 by way of a suspension 106, e.g., a gimbal. Theread/write head 102 includes read/write transducers 108 at a trailingedge that are held proximate to a surface 110 of a magnetic recordingmedium 111, e.g., a magnetic disc. When the read/write head 102 islocated over surface 110 of recording medium 111, a flying height 112 ismaintained between the read/write head 102 and the surface 110 by adownward force of arm 104. This downward force is counterbalanced by anair cushion that exists between the surface 110 and an air bearingsurface (ABS) 103 (also referred to herein as a “media-facing surface”)of the read/write head 102 when the recording medium 111 is rotating.

A controller 118 is coupled to the read/write transducers 108, as wellas other components of the read/write head 102, such as heaters,sensors, etc. The controller 118 may be part of general- orspecial-purpose logic circuitry that controls the functions of a storagedevice that includes at least the read/write head 102 and recordingmedium 111. The controller 118 may include or be coupled to interfacecircuitry 119 such as preamplifiers, buffers, filters, digital-to-analogconverters, analog-to-digital converters, decoders, encoders, etc., thatfacilitate electrically coupling the logic of the controller 118 to thesignals used by the read/write head 102 and other components.

The illustrated read/write head 102 is configured as a HAMR device, andso includes additional components that form a hot spot on the recordingmedium 111 near the read/write transducer 108. These components includelaser 120 (or other energy source) and waveguide 122. The waveguide 122delivers light from the laser 120 to components near the read/writetransducers 108. These components are shown in greater detail in FIG. 2,which is a block diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of theread/write head 102 according to an example embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 2, the waveguide 122 receives electromagnetic energy200 from the energy source, the energy being coupled to a near-fieldtransducer (NFT) 202. The NFT 202 is made of a metal (e.g., gold,silver, copper, etc.) that achieves surface plasmonic resonance inresponse to the applied energy 200. The NFT 202 shapes and transmits theenergy to create a small hotspot 204 on the surface 110 of medium 111. Amagnetic write pole 206 causes changes in magnetic flux near themedia-facing surface 103 in response to an applied current. Flux fromthe write pole 206 changes a magnetic orientation of the hotspot 204 asit moves past the write pole 206 in the downtrack direction(z-direction).

The energy 200 applied to the near-field transducer 202 to create thehotspot 204 can cause a significant temperature rise in a local regionnear the media-facing surface 103. The near-field transducer 202 mayinclude a heat sink 208 that draws away some heat, e.g., to the writepole 206 or other nearby heat-conductive component. Nonetheless, thetemperature increase near the near-field transducer 202 can besignificant, leading to degradation of the near-field transducer 202 andother components over time. As such, techniques described hereinfacilitate increasing thermal robustness of the near-field transducer.

In FIG. 3, a perspective views show details of a device 112 including aNFT. The device 112 can include two parts: a disc 300 and a heat sink302 proximate to (e.g., deposited directly on to) the disc 300. In thisexample, the outline of the disc 300 on the xz-plane (which is asubstrate-parallel plane) is enlarged relative to the heat sink 302,although they may be the same size. The heat sink 302 can include anangled surface 302 a that is located proximate to a write pole (see,e.g., write pole 206 in FIG. 2).

The disc 300 acts as a collector of optical energy from a waveguideand/or focusing element. The disc 300 achieves surface plasmon resonancein response to the optical energy and the surface plasmons are directedto the medium via a peg 300 b that extends from the disc 300. It shouldbe noted that the heat sink may also contribute to the energy transferprocess and in some such embodiments a NFT does not necessarily includea separate disc and heat sink but a single component that can act asboth. In this example, the disc 300 is configured as an elongated platewith rounded (e.g., circular) ends, also referred to as a stadium orcapsule shape. Other enlarged portion geometries may be used, includingcircular, rectangular, triangular, etc.

In FIG. 4, a perspective views show details of a device 412 according toan example embodiment. The device 412 includes a NFT 405 and a heat sink402 proximate to (e.g., deposited directly on to) the disc 400 of theNFT 405. In this example, the outline of the disc 400 on the xz-plane(which is a substrate-parallel plane) is enlarged relative to the heatsink 402, although they may be the same size. The heat sink 402 includesan angled surface 402 a that is located proximate to a write pole (see,e.g., write pole 206 in FIG. 2).

The disc 400 includes a top disc 400 a that acts as a collector ofoptical energy from a waveguide and/or focusing element. The top disc400 a achieves surface plasmon resonance in response to the opticalenergy and the surface plasmons are directed to the medium via a peg 400b that extends from top portion 400 a. In this example, the top portion400 a is configured as an elongated plate with rounded (e.g., circular)ends, also referred to as a stadium or capsule shape. Other enlargedportion geometries may be used, including circular, rectangular,triangular, etc.

The disc 400 also includes a bottom disc 400 c. The bottom disc 400 ccan also be referred to as a sunken disc. The term “sunken disc” refersto a base or bottom portion that extends below the peg, as shown by thebase portion 400 c in FIG. 3. This can also be described as the pegextending beyond the bottom disc 400 c. In some embodiments, such asthat depicted in FIG. 4, the bottom disc 400 c and the top disc 400 acan have the same outline shape (e.g., stadium shape) as well as a sameoutline size. In some embodiments, the bottom disc 400 c and the topdisc 400 a can have different outline shapes, different outline sizes,or combinations thereof. The peg 400 b extends beyond the bottom disc400 c. The bottom portion 400 c is disposed proximate a light deliverystructure (e.g., a waveguide core) and away from a write pole. In someembodiments, the bottom disc 400 c may likely be, but need not be, theprimary collector of optical energy.

Disclosed NFTs and methods of formation thereof may include or formdiscs that may have advantageous properties. For example, disclosedformation processes may reduce variability due to critical dimension andoverlay placement errors that are present in other methods because ofthe use of photolithography methods. Such variability can impact thecoupling efficiency between the disc and the peg, the performance of theNFT, or combinations thereof. Additionally or alternatively, disclosedformation processes may result in lower rates of rework on devices.Additionally or alternatively, disclosed formation processes may alsoresult in higher density, better microstructure, or combinations thereofin the deposited discs. Additionally or alternatively, disclosedformation processes may also result in decreased failures due topeg-disc separation. Additionally or alternatively, disclosed NFTS andmethods of forming them may more easily or simply allow use of betteraligned diffusion barriers. Additionally or alternatively, disclosedNFTs may allow for higher areal densities due to more favorable aspectratios in the rod. Additionally or alternatively, disclosed NFTs ormethods of forming NFTs can remove the need to mill the rod whichremoves a portion of the core to NFT space (CNS) cladding, which canlead to an increase in the NFT temperature. Some embodiments ofdisclosed NFTs or methods of forming NFTs may impart one or more ofthese properties or advantages to the overall device.

FIGS. 5A to 5C are diagrams of illustrative NFTs. For example, the NFTscan include a peg 515, a barrier layer 510 and a disc 505 (FIG. 5A), 506(FIG. 5B) and 507 (FIG. 5C). It should be noted that embodiments arealso included herein where the barrier layer 510 is not present and theback edge of the peg 515 is in contact with the front edge of the disc505. The disc 505 in FIG. 5A could include the flattened back edge(opposite the ABS), as indicated by the solid line or could include arounded back edge, as indicated by the dashed line. In some embodiments,the flattened back edge may advantageously improve the criticaldimension of the overall NFT. The NFT in FIG. 5B includes a disc 506that has an overall rectangular (as opposed to general elliptical orstadium like as in FIG. 5A) shape but includes rounded corners. The NFTin FIG. 5C includes a disc 507 that has a substantially rectangularshape. In some embodiments, rounded corners, such as the depicted inFIG. 5B may be advantageous because they can minimize or even avoid theelectric field concentrating on such corners. In contrast, sharp cornersmay concentrate the electric field and may therefore get hot and thenact as a sacrificial void sink. Furthermore, tapering the disc 507 inFIG. 5C so that it is narrower towards the ABS may have some performanceadvantages. The core geometry of the disc can be chosen so as toaccommodate the excitation of surface plasmons on the discs. Specificsregarding the size or dimensions of the disc can also be chosen so as toaccommodate the light that exits the waveguide.

Disclosed NFTs can include various materials disclosed herein as well asthose disclosed elsewhere. In some embodiments the peg and the disc canbe made of the same material and in some embodiments the peg and thedisc can be made of different materials. In some embodiments, either thepeg or the disc or both can include more than one part that may be madeof different materials.

In some embodiments, the peg, the disc, the heat sink, or anycombination thereof can include aluminum (Al), antimony (Sb), bismuth(Bi), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), erbium (Er), gadolinium(Gd), gallium (Ga), gold (Au), hafnium (Hf), indium (In), iridium (Ir),iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), niobium (Nb),osmium (Os), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), rhenium (Re), rhodium (Rh),ruthenium (Ru), scandium (Sc), silicon (Si), silver (Ag), tantalum (Ta),tin (Sn), titanium (Ti), vanadium (V), tungsten (W), ytterbium (Yb),yttrium (Y), zirconium (Zr), or combinations thereof. Illustrativeexamples of materials for the peg, the disc, the heat sink, or anycombinations thereof can include binary and/or ternary alloys includingAl, Sb, Bi, Cr, Co, Cu, Er, Gd, Ga, Au, Hf, In, Ir, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Nb,Os, Pd, Pt, Re, Rh, Ru, Sc, Si, Ag, Ta, Sn, Ti, V, W, Yb, Y, Zr, orcombinations thereof. Illustrative examples of materials for the peg,the disc, the heat sink, or any combinations thereof can includelanthanides, actinides, or combinations thereof including Al, Sb, Bi,Cr, Co, Cu, Er, Gd, Ga, Au, Hf, In, Ir, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Nb, Os, Pd, Pt,Re, Rh, Ru, Sc, Si, Ag, Ta, Sn, Ti, V, W, Yb, Y, Zr, or combinationsthereof. Illustrative examples of materials for the peg, the disc, theheat sink, or any combinations thereof can include dispersions includingAl, Sb, Bi, Cr, Co, Cu, Er, Gd, Ga, Au, Hf, In, Ir, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Nb,Os, Pd, Pt, Re, Rh, Ru, Sc, Si, Ag, Ta, Sn, Ti, V, W, Yb, Y, Zr, orcombinations thereof. Illustrative examples of materials for the peg,the disc, the heat sink, or any combinations thereof can include alloysor intermetallics based on or including Al, Sb, Bi, Cr, Co, Cu, Er, Gd,Ga, Au, Hf, In, Ir, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Nb, Os, Pd, Pt, Re, Rh, Ru, Sc, Si,Ag, Ta, Sn, Ti, V, W, Yb, Y, Zr, or combinations thereof. Illustrativealloys or intermetallics can include, for example binary and ternarysilicides, nitrides, and carbides. For example vanadium silicide (VSi),niobium silicide (NbSi), tantalum silicide (TaSi), titanium silicide(TiSi), palladium silicide (PdSi) for example zirconium nitride (ZrN),aluminum nitride (AlN), tantalum nitride (TaN), hafnium nitride (HfN),titanium nitride (TiN), boron nitride (BN), niobium nitride (NbN), orcombinations thereof. Illustrative carbides can include, for examplesilicon carbide (SiC), aluminum carbide (AlC), boron carbide (BC),zirconium carbide (ZrC), tungsten carbide (WC), titanium carbide (TiC)niobium carbide (NbC), or combinations thereof. Additionally dopedoxides can also be utilized. Illustrative doped oxides can includealuminum oxide (AlO), silicon oxide (SiO), titanium oxide (TiO),tantalum oxide (TaO), yttrium oxide (YO), niobium oxide (NbO), ceriumoxide (CeO), copper oxide (CuO), tin oxide (SnO), zirconium oxide (ZrO)or combinations thereof. Illustrative examples of materials for the peg,the disc, the heat sink, or any combinations thereof can includeconducting oxides, conducting nitrides or combinations thereof ofvarious stoichiometries where one part of the oxide, nitride or carbideincludes Al, Sb, Bi, Cr, Co, Cu, Er, Gd, Ga, Au, Hf, In, Ir, Fe, Mn, Mo,Ni, Nb, Os, Pd, Pt, Re, Rh, Ru, Sc, Si, Ag, Ta, Sn, Ti, V, W, Yb, Y, Zr,or combinations thereof. Illustrative examples of materials for the peg,the disc, the heat sink, or any combinations thereof can include a metalincluding Al, Sb, Bi, Cr, Co, Cu, Er, Gd, Ga, Au, Hf, In, Ir, Fe, Mn,Mo, Ni, Nb, Os, Pd, Pt, Re, Rh, Ru, Sc, Si, Ag, Ta, Sn, Ti, V, W, Yb, Y,Zr doped with oxide, carbide or nitride nanoparticles. Illustrativeoxide nanoparticles can include, for example, oxides of yttrium (Y),lanthanum (La), barium (Ba), strontium (Sr), erbium (Er), zirconium(Zr), hafnium (Hf), germanium (Ge), silicon (Si), calcium (Ca), aluminum(Al), magnesium (Mg), titanium (Ti), cerium (Ce), tantalum (Ta),tungsten (W), thorium (Th), or combinations thereof. Illustrativenitride nanoparticles can include, for example, nitrides of zirconium(Zr), titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta), aluminum (Al), boron (B), niobium(Nb), silicon (Si), indium (In), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), tungsten (W),or combinations thereof. Illustrative carbide nanoparticles can include,for example carbides of silicon (Si), aluminum (Al), boron (B),zirconium (Zr), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), niobium (Nb), orcombinations thereof. In some embodiments nanoparticles can includecombinations of oxides, nitrides, or carbides. It is to be understoodthat lists of combinations of elements are not exclusive to monoatomicbinary combinations, for example VSi is taken to include V₂Si and VSi₂,for example.

In some embodiments the disc may include copper (Cu), silver (Ag),aluminum (Al), tantalum (Ta), gold (Au), or combinations thereof. Insome embodiments the disc may include AlTi, ZrN, TiN, or combinationsthereof. In some embodiments the disc may include gold based materials,including for example, AuBi, AuBiC, AuY, AuYO, AuHf, AuHfO, AuLaO,AuZrO, or combinations thereof.

In some embodiments where the disc includes a gold alloy, the non-goldelement(s) of the alloy may be introduced into the Au disc viaco-sputtering, layer-by-layer deposition, layer-by-layer deposition withoxygen, via ion implant, via nanoparticle inclusion, or any combinationthereof. The presence of the alloyed substituent may serve to arrestgrain growth, stabilize grain boundaries, stabilize interfaces, increasemelting point, improve interface adhesion, or some combination thereof.In some embodiments, the resulting film is greater than 50 atomicpercent gold. The permittivities of these materials range from∈=(−15+5i) to ∈=(−40+3i) depending on the exact composition andmaterials. In some embodiments, gold-based materials or gold alloyswhere the non-gold component(s) make up, in total, less than 10 atomicpercent of the disc can be utilized. In some embodiments, the disc caninclude AuBiC, AuY, AuYO, or AuZrO, for example, where the non-goldcomponent comprises less than 5 atomic percent of the disc. Discs withthis level of non-gold constituents may provide improved mechanicalproperties with the least impact on the permittivity compared to gold.

In some embodiments, the peg may include gold (Au), silver (Ag), copper(Cu), zirconium (Zr), tantalum (Ta), aluminum (Al), palladium (Pd),platinum (Pt), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), iridium (Ir), rhodium (Rh), orcombinations thereof. In some embodiments, the peg may include ZrN,AlTi, NiFe, or combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, materials that have a real permittivity less than−10 (at a wavelength of 830 nm) can be used as a peg material. In someembodiments, materials with either (exclusively either) low imaginarypermittivity, or very large absolute real and very large absoluteimaginary permittivity can be utilized for the peg material. In the caseof low imaginary permittivity, imaginary permittivity may be traded formechanical robustness. For example, silver has imaginary permittivity<1, indicating very low loss, but is not mechanically or thermallyrobust, nor resistant to corrosion, whereas ZrN and Ta are mechanicallyrobust and have imaginary permittivity less than 15. Materials withlarge absolute real permittivity and large imaginary permittivity mayalso be advantageous as peg materials as they suffer less from heating.Illustrative examples can include Al, Rh, NiFe, AlTi and Ir. In someembodiments, materials that are hard, mechanically robust, resistant tooxidation, have high melting temperature, large absolute permittivity,or combinations thereof may be utilized. Illustrative examples caninclude Rh and Ir.

In some embodiments, at least some portion of the optional barrier layeror more than one portion of the optional barrier layer can independentlybe selected from bismuth (Bi), arsenic (As), gallium (Ga), germanium(Ge), tellurium (Te), lead (Pb), antimony (Sb), indium (In), tin (Sn),cadmium (Cd), thallium (Tl) silver (Ag), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt),rhodium (Rh), iridium (Ir), osmium (Os), ruthenium (Ru), technetium(Tc), rhenium (Re), mercury (Hg), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron(Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), tungsten (W),niobium (Nb), or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, at leastsome portion of the optional barrier layer or more than one portion ofthe optional barrier layer can independently be selected from an alloy.Illustrative, specific alloys can include, for example CoFe, NiFe, NiCu,CdTe, Sn₂Te₃, PbSe, Bi₂Te₃, NiP, NiWP, NiMoP, NiW, and NiMo. In someembodiments, at least some portion of the optional barrier layer or morethan one portion of the optional barrier layer can independently beselected from semi-metal oxides, sulfides or combinations thereof.Illustrative semi-metal oxides and sulfides can include, for exampleBi₂O₃, ZnO, TeO₂, CuO, InO, SnO₂, SmZnO, CdS, ZnS, HgS, Bi₂S₃, SnS,In₂S₃ and PbS. In some embodiments, at least some portion of theoptional barrier layer or more than one portion of the optional barrierlayer thereof can independently be selected from rhodium (Rh), ruthenium(Ru), iridium (Ir), tungsten (W), niobium (Nb), alloys thereof orcompounds thereof. An example of a specific compound can include nickelphosphate (NiP), for example.

In some embodiments, the optional barrier layer or more than one portionof the optional barrier layer can include a material that has arelatively large absolute real permittivity and relative large imaginarypermittivity. Such materials may suffer less from heating. Illustrativematerials can include, for example aluminum (Al), rhodium (Rh), iridium(Ir), or combinations thereof. Illustrative materials can also include,for example nickel iron (NiFe), aluminum titanium (AlTi), orcombinations thereof. In some embodiments, illustrative materials caninclude, for example those that are relatively hard, relativelymechanically robust, relatively resistant to oxidation, have relativelyhigh melting temperature, relatively large absolute permittivity,relatively low solubility with the disc and peg materials, orcombinations thereof. Illustrative examples of such materials caninclude, for example rhodium (Rh) and iridium (Ir).

It should also be noted that the intersection angle, denoted in FIG. 5Aas a can be virtually any angle. In some embodiments, such as thatdepicted in FIGS. 5A and 5B, a can be not greater than 90°, while inother embodiments (not depicted in the figures), a can be not less than90°. In some specific illustrative embodiments, a can be not less than30° for example and not greater than 90°.

Some embodiments of NFTs, including those illustrated in FIGS. 5A to 5Cmay share at least some properties. For example, discs, especially thoseformed using disclosed methods (discussed below) are milled from a sheetfilm of material instead of deposited into a via. This can enable hotdeposition of the disc material which may lead to improved densities,reduced shadowing, or combinations thereof. Another example of a featurethat may be shared by discs in disclosed NFTs and NFTs made usingdisclosed methods includes a flat front (towards the ABS) edge, nooverlap of the disc and rod, or combinations thereof. Such features canimprove breakpoint control. By using a mask that contains a nominallystraight portion, the flat front edge of the disc can be positionedaccurately and precisely. Control of the position of the front edge ofthe disc may give greater control over the distance between the disc andthe ABS, e.g., the length of the peg, or peg break point. Bothreliability and performance of the head may be dependent, at least inpart, on the length of the peg, therefore controlling the length can beadvantageous. Another example of a feature that may be shared by discsin disclosed NFTs and NFTs made using disclosed methods includes theability to integrate a barrier between the peg and the disc. Use of abarrier between the peg and the disc may minimize or even prevent thepeg from recessing during operation. Yet another example of a featurethat may be shared by discs in disclosed NFTs and NFTS made usingdisclosed methods includes favorable aspect ratios of the rod, whichultimately forms the peg. In some embodiments, the aspect ratio can evenbe less than 1:1 in the cross track direction.

FIGS. 6A to 6I illustrate a structure at various stages of fabricationin an illustrative disclosed process.

A first step in disclosed methods can include forming a peg or a rodincluding a peg. Formation of a peg can be accomplished using manydifferent processes and many different methods. In the process schemedisclosed in FIGS. 6A to 6I, the peg, once formed has dielectricmaterial surrounding it. Therefore, methods of forming the peg that areincorporated into methods of FIGS. 6A to 6I generally begin by forming apeg that is surrounded by dielectric. One illustrative method includesdepositing peg material on a dielectric layer and utilizing variousremoval and patterning methods to form a peg. The steps depicted inFIGS. 6A and 6B are one example of a specific illustrative method offorming a peg. FIG. 6A shows the structure after a peg structure 610 hasbeen formed on a substrate 602 that has a first dielectric material 605deposited thereon. The peg structure can be formed using any deposition,patterning, removal, etc. techniques known to those of skill in the artincluding photolithography methods, removal methods, etc. Depending onthe method utilized, an area around the peg may have to be backfilledwith the dielectric material. This step defines the width of the rod andultimately the peg.

FIG. 6B shows the structure after the peg (or the rod including the peg)has been subjected to chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) to form a peg611 that is generally surrounded by, at least on the sides or besubstantially surrounded by at least on the sides by (e.g., can besubstantially planar with) dielectric material. The peg/rod can also be,at this point, as being fully encapsulated, be open above the rod/peg(e.g., open top), be open above the rod and have slightly exposed sidetops (e.g., from peg protrusion during CMP, for example). The structurein FIG. 6B also includes a second layer 606 of dielectric material(which may be the same or different than that of 605). This step may beused to define the final height of the rod/peg. Such a method ofdefining the rod height may be advantageous because the rod is patternedand etched from a planarized surface. Furthermore, adding the backfill(606) and CMP steps may allow the depth of the bottom (sunken) disc tono longer be defined by a peg overmill (not shown) which can bedifficult to control due to material selectivity during milling or otherremoval processes. This may allow for the sunken disc depth to beoptimized independent of rod/peg processing.

As noted above, there are alternatives to the method of forming thepeg/rod depicted in FIGS. 6A and 6B. One possible alternative includesforming a trench in a layer of dielectric material, where the trench isconfigured in the same way the rod should be once formed. This trenchcan then be filled with the material of the peg. The entire structurecould then be subjected to CMP to obtain a planar surface. Anotherpossible alternative includes forming a trench in a layer of dielectricmaterial, where the trench is configured in the same way the rod shouldbe once formed. This trench can then be filled with the material of thepeg. The entire structure could then be subjected to milling, such as anangled milling to remove the excess peg material.

FIG. 6C shows the structure after a hard mask has been deposited,patterned and etched. The resultant structure includes a processed hardmask 615. The back edge 617 of the processed hard mask 615 defines theposition of the back edge of the rod and the back edge of the rodultimately defines the front edge of the disc. Defining this edge insuch a way can be advantageous because it provides a single edge on aflat surface and furthermore use of a thin resist and a hard maskresults in relatively low overlay errors. This edge is one way ofenabling the flat, no overlap nature of the peg 515/optional barrierlayer 510/disc 505 in FIG. 5A. The hard mask need not cover the entirerod, as subsequent steps can remove any excess that is apparent outsideof the masked area (the overhang 620 in FIG. 6D is present because ofthe particular mill process in the next step, rather than due to thepositioning of the hard mask).

FIG. 6D shows the structure after it has been etched to expose the backedge 620 of the rod. An exposed portion of the second layer 606 ofdielectric material is also exposed adjacent the back edge 620 of therod. The inset in FIG. 6D show the rod 621 in greater detail adjacentthe second layer 606 of the dielectric. It should be noted that the rod620 in the larger figure is shown with a curved surface and the rod 621in the inset is shown with a flat surface. Further properties of both ofthese and methods of forming are discussed below with respect to FIGS.11A and 11B. This step may offer advantages because the etch can becontrolled so that there is relatively little undesired removal of theunderlying cladding (e.g., the core to NFT space or “CNS”). This stepcan either be accomplished with no redeposition of material on the faceof the rod or the face of the rod can optionally be cleaned to ensurethat no material has been redeposited thereon. The mill conditions andmaterials selection can be chosen so as to arrive at 620 or 621. A backedge similar to 620 may offer a better thermal/mechanical connectionbetween the rod and disc, which may offer an advantage. Alternatively, aback edge similar to 621 may offer advantages in the performance of theresulting device and optionally the ease of integration of a barrierlayer.

FIG. 6E shows the structure after a disc mask 625 has been formedthereon. The disc mask 625 can be formed using known photolithographytechniques, for example. The disc mask 625 has a configuration dependingon the desired configuration of the disc being formed. It should benoted that the disc mask 625 is positioned such that the back edge 620of the rod is located within the exposed (non-masked) area. A portion ofthe underlying hard mask 616 is also positioned within the disc mask625. It should also be noted that additional masking steps (or othertypes of steps) can also be added in order to provide further definitionof the shape of the disc. Such steps could be undertaken at this point,at other points, or any combination thereof. Specific, illustrativeexamples of such further definition could include, for example removingsharp corners or rounding said corners or narrowing of the disc towardthe ABS.

FIG. 6F shows the structure after the disc material 630 has beendeposited into the disc mask 625 and the disc mask 625 has been removed.The deposition of the disc material 630 can be accomplished using knowntechniques. Removal of the disc mask 625 can be accomplished using knownremoval methods for photoresist, for example.

FIG. 6G shows the structure after a second dielectric material 635 hasbeen deposited thereon. The second dielectric material 635 can bedeposited on any convenient portion of the field. This dielectricmaterial will eventually form the NFT to pole space or “NPS”.Illustrative dielectric materials can include, for example oxides suchas Al₂O₃, Ta₂O₅, etc. It should also be noted that the first dielectricmaterial 605 on which the peg was deposited in the step depicted in FIG.6A is also a dielectric material and the two can but need not be thesame material. The first dielectric material 605 can ultimately form thecore to NFT space or “CNS”.

FIG. 6H shows the structure after it has been subjected to a removalmethod, for example CMP. In some embodiments, CMP can be utilized andthe CMP process can be configured to stop at the hard mask 640, as seenin FIG. 6H. This step exposes the upper surface of the disc 645 which issurrounded by the exposed dielectric material 635.

FIG. 6I shows the structure after the exposed hard mask 640 has beenremoved. At this point, the disc 645 is entirely surrounded at thisplane by dielectric material 635. FIG. 6J shows a cross section of thestructure that includes a substrate 602, a first dielectric material605, a second dielectric material 635, a disc 645 and a peg 620. It canbe noted in FIG. 6J that the bottom (the surface closest to thesubstrate) of the peg 620 sits above the bottom of the disc 645. In someembodiments, the distance between the bottom of the peg and the bottomof the disc can be from 0 nm (they are at the same level) to 30 nm, orin some embodiments from 5 nm to 20 nm, for example.

In some embodiments, the steps depicted from FIG. 6C to 6E could also beundertaken using a multilayer hard mask that does not includephotoresist to form a via that functions like the void in the disc mask625 of FIG. 6E. Known processing steps (e.g., masking, milling,patterning, etching, photoresist stripping, etc.) and materials (e.g.,multilayer hard masks including various materials) can be utilized toform a void similar to that seen in FIG. 625. The advantage of such amethod over that depicted in FIGS. 6C to 6E may be that the material ofthe disc can be deposited using relatively higher depositiontemperatures (as compared with those that can be used when regularphotoresist is present in the structure) which may lead to a disc thatis more dense, more uniform, or combinations thereof. Other advantagesof this type of process may include a low profile (aspect ratio issmall, disc is wide, long in the plane and short in the depositiondirection), which may be advantageous for the deposition fill process.Also the X dimension control of the disc (width perpendicular to therod) may be better than when depositing into a photoresist.

In some embodiments, a specific illustrative method of forming a NFT caninclude steps of forming a rod, the rod substantially surrounded on thesides by a dielectric material, the rod including the peg; forming ahard mask positioned over at least a portion of the rod, the hard maskincluding at least one layer; patterning a resist mask over the hardmask, the resist mask having an edge positioned over at least a portionof the rod; etching a portion of the hard mask to expose a back edge ofthe rod and to form a back edge of the hard mask, wherein the back edgeof the rod is equivalent to the back edge of the peg; and wherein aforward portion of the rod which is the portion of the rod forward ofthe back edge is covered by the hard mask; forming a disc maskcomprising a void configured to form a disc of a NFT, the disc maskbeing formed over at least a portion of the hard mask so that theexposed back edge of the rod is within the void configured to form thedisc; etching an area exposed in the void of the disc mask to removeboth a rear portion of the rod and the surrounding dielectric up to theback edge of the hard mask edge; depositing a disc material in theetched void, wherein the back edge of the hard mask defines the frontedge of the disc and the back edge of the rod is in contact with thefront edge of the disc; and polishing the deposited disc material toform a top surface substantially planar with the top of the forward rodportion.

Optionally, the disc mask can be removed after the disc material hasbeen deposited in the void. Optionally a second dielectric material canbe deposited over at the disc material after the disc mask has beenremoved. Optionally at least a portion of the disc material and thesecond dielectric material can be removed. Optionally the hard mask canalso be removed before polishing the disc. Alternatively, the disc maskcan include a photoresist mask. Alternatively, the hard mask can includeat least five (5) layers, or at least six (6) layers. Optionally, theshape of the disc can be further defined using additional masking steps.wherein the step of patterning the hard mask forms a two piece patternedhard mask with a front portion and a back portion forming a voidtherebetween. In some embodiments, a two piece patterned hard mask caninclude embodiments where the front portion includes the back edge ofthe hard mask that functions to define the front edge of the disc andthe back portion functions to define the back edge of the disc.Additionally, the sidewalls of the disc can be further defined afterdeposition of the disc material using a second disc mask. Additionally,further barrier layer can be formed after formation of the disc mask butbefore deposition of the disc material.

FIGS. 7A to 7I show another illustrative process flow. The stepsdepicted in FIGS. 7A and 7B, e.g. forming a peg structure 710 on asubstrate 702 covered in a first dielectric material 705 and forming apeg 711 are similar and will not be discussed in detail again. Featuresand characteristics discussed above apply here as well.

FIG. 7C shows the structure after a hard mask 715 has been depositedthereon and patterned into a front 715 a portion and a back 715 bportion which form a void 720 therebetween. The front portion 715 afunctions similarly to the hard mask 615 formed in FIG. 6C and againfunctions to define the font edge of the disc. The back portion 715 bfunctions to define the back edge of the disc. Use of a singlephotoresist mask in such a method can improve the control of thecritical dimension of the disc in the Y direction. Using more than onemask may reduce control of the critical dimension of the disc in the Ydirection but can increase flexibility.

FIG. 7D shows the structure after a removal has been undertaken in thevoid 720. In some embodiments, an etching step can be utilized. Thisstep can function in the same way as the etching in the step depicted inFIG. 6D above. Specifically, it functions to expose the back edge of therod. The result of this is a trench 721.

FIG. 7E shows the structure after a sheet film of material has beendeposited in the trench 721 and the deposited material and adjacentstructure has been subjected to a removal method to remove excessmaterial. An example of such a removal method can include CMP. Becausethere is no resist material in the structure at this point (versus thestructure of FIG. 7E which is utilized to form the disc) depositionunder relatively higher temperatures can be utilized. Such may beadvantageous because it can allow for higher temperature depositionwhich may allow for the formation of denser, more uniform material inthe trench 721 which can be referred to as the pre-disc material film725. It should be noted that this method, which allows the use of highertemperature deposition methods may be more advantageous than theoptional process method above with the multilayer mask discussed as acorollary to the scheme in FIGS. 6A to 6I because the area being filledwith disc material is this embodiment is larger, e.g., it is a trenchinstead of a smaller via as would be being filled in that process.

FIG. 7F shows the structure after a disc mask 730 has been formed on topof the structure to define the side walls of the disc. Although the discmask 730 is shown here as ultimately forming a straight side walled(e.g., similar to that of FIG. 5C) disc, various other structures couldbe formed using differently configured masks. Various photolithographytechniques and methods could be utilized to form the disc mask 730. Itshould also be noted that additional masking steps (or other types ofsteps) can also be added in order to provide further definition of theshape of the disc. Such steps could be undertaken at this point, atother points, or any combination thereof. Specific, illustrativeexamples of such further definition could include, for example removingsharp corners or rounding said corners.

FIG. 7G shows the structure after the disc mask 730 has been utilized toprotect the portion of the pre-disc material film 725 that willultimately become the disc. The remaining pre-disc material can beremoved (e.g., etched or milled), for example, using the disc mask 730to protect the portion of the disc material that should remain to formthe disc.

FIG. 7H shows the structure after the disc mask 730 has been removed(e.g., the resist has been stripped), the region in the trench 721 thatwas previously filled with pre-disc material 725 has been backfilledwith a dielectric material 740 a and 740 b and the entire structure hasbeen planarized, for example using CMP.

FIG. 7I shows the structure after the hard mask 715 a and 715 b havebeen removed. The resultant structure would be similar to that depictedin FIG. 6J. However, a structure formed using the method depicted inFIGS. 7A to 7I would be able to more critically control the back of thedisc 645 and the material of the disc 645 may have different properties(e.g., may be more dense, more uniform, etc.).

FIGS. 8A to 8D offer one illustrative method that may be utilized incombination with other methods to form optional barrier layers. Furtherdetails regarding such optional barrier layers can be obtained, forexample, in concurrently filed U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/166,785, entitled NEAR FIELD TRANSDUCERS (NFTS) INCLUDING BARRIERLAYER AND METHODS OF FORMING, filed on May 27, 2016 and published asUnited States Patent Publication Number 2016/0351221, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference thereto. For example, themethod depicted in FIGS. 8A to 8D may be able to be incorporated intothe methods disclosed in FIGS. 6A to 6I, FIGS. 7A to 7I, or both. If anoptional barrier layer is to be included, a method as depicted by FIGS.8A to 8D may be added after the step depicted as completed in FIG. 6D.For example, with 820 being similar to the peg 620 or 621 of FIG. 6D.The remaining portion of the structure of interest includes thedielectric 805 and the hard mask 815. FIG. 8B shows the structure afterthe material 850 of the optional barrier layer has been deposited overthe entire field. Various deposition techniques can be utilized. In someembodiments deposition techniques that are conformal in nature can beutilized. Illustrative conformal techniques can include, for exampleatomic layer deposition (ALD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), ion beamdeposition (IBD) and others. FIG. 8C depicts a milling process beingcarried out on the structure and FIG. 8D shows the structure after themilling process, where the only barrier layer material remaining is onthe face of the peg 855.

In some embodiments, at least some portion of the barrier layer or morethan one portion of the barrier layer can independently be selected frombismuth (Bi), arsenic (As), gallium (Ga), germanium (Ge), tellurium(Te), lead (Pb), antimony (Sb), indium (In), tin (Sn), cadmium (Cd),thallium (Tl) silver (Ag), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), rhodium (Rh),iridium (Ir), osmium (Os), ruthenium (Ru), technetium (Tc), rhenium(Re), mercury (Hg), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), cobalt(Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), tungsten (W), niobium (Nb),or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, at least some portion ofthe barrier layer or more than one portion of the barrier layer canindependently be selected from an alloy. Illustrative, specific alloyscan include, for example CoFe, NiFe, NiCu, CdTe, Sn₂Te₃, PbSe, Bi₂Te₃,NiP, NiWP, NiMoP, NiW, and NiMo. In some embodiments, at least someportion of the barrier layer or more than one portion of the barrierlayer can independently be selected from semi-metal oxides, sulfides orcombinations thereof. Illustrative semi-metal oxides and sulfides caninclude, for example Bi₂O₃, ZnO, TeO₂, CuO, InO, SnO₂, SmZnO, CdS, ZnS,HgS, Bi₂S₃, SnS, In₂S₃ and PbS. In some embodiments, at least someportion of the barrier layer or more than one portion thereof canindependently be selected from rhodium (Rh), ruthenium (Ru), iridium(Ir), tungsten (W), niobium (Nb), alloys thereof or compounds thereof.An example of a specific compound can include nickel phosphate (NiP),for example.

FIGS. 9A to 9D offer another illustrative method that may be utilized incombination with other methods to form optional barrier layers. Forexample, the method depicted in FIGS. 9A to 9D may be able to beincorporated into the methods disclosed FIGS. 6A to 6I, FIGS. 7A to 7I,or both. If an optional barrier layer is to be included, a method asdepicted by FIGS. 9A to 9D may be added after the step depicted ascompleted in FIG. 6D. For example, with 920 being similar to the peg 620or 621 of FIG. 6D. The remaining portion of the structure of interestincludes the dielectric 905 and the hard mask 915. FIG. 9B shows thestructure after the next step, formation of a mask 960. The mask 960 isdesigned to leave only the desired amount of the dielectric 905 behindthe peg 920 exposed so that the barrier layer may be deposited thereon.FIG. 9C shows the structure after an optional barrier layer material 965has been deposited thereon. FIG. 9D shows an optional method ofdepositing the optional barrier layer material within the region exposedby the mask. The method depicted in FIG. 9D includes deposition at anangle relative to the surface of the structure. Such a method couldafford more uniform, more conformal, or a combination thereof depositionof the barrier material on the face of the peg. FIG. 9D should beunderstood as an alternative to that depicted in FIG. 9D. FIG. 9E showsthe structure after the mask has been removed and the optional barrierlayer 970 exists only in the portions where it is desired. It should benoted that the optional barrier layer could cover more or less of thedielectric 905, more or less of the hard mask 915, or combinationsthereof.

FIGS. 10A to 10D offer another illustrative method that may be utilizedin combination with other methods to form optional barrier layers. Forexample, the method depicted in FIGS. 10A to 10D may be able to beincorporated into the methods disclosed in FIGS. 6A to 6I, FIGS. 7A to7I, or both. If an optional barrier layer is to be included, a method asdepicted by FIGS. 10A to 10D may be added after the step depicted ascompleted in FIG. 6D. For example, with 1020 being similar to the peg620 or 621 of FIG. 6D. The remaining portion of the structure ofinterest includes the dielectric 1005 and the hard mask 1015. As seen inthis structure, the peg 1020 is connected to a source of electricalcurrent in order to provide current for electroplating. FIG. 10B showsthe structure after barriers 1080 are formed on the structure so thatthe plating solution can be contained within the area of interest. Theplating solution is indicated as filling up the volume formed by thebarriers up to the line (which is entirely arbitrary). FIG. 10C showsthe structure once the current has been turned on and the barrier layer1085 is forming. The barrier layer 1085 will form only on the exposedend of the peg 1020 because the hard mask 1015 will insulate theunderlying remaining portion of the peg 1020. FIG. 10D shows thestructure after the barriers 1080 are removed.

FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate different back surfaces of the peg that canbe incorporated into NFTs formed herein. FIG. 11A shows an arced 1122back surface of a peg. This can be contrasted with the flat 1124 backsurface of the peg seen in FIG. 11B. There may be some instances whenthe flat back surface 1124 of the peg may not be desirable even thoughit is thought that minimizing peg volume, providing a smoother frontedge of the disc, or both are advantageous. In such circumstance, theremoval step that exposes the back of the peg from the dielectric andhard mask can be tailored to obtain a desired profile. This can beaccomplished by changing hardmasks/materials/thickness/mill/etchconditions or any combination thereof.

Barrier layers such as those disclosed above can have thicknesses thatneed not be the same in the entire structure, e.g., the barrier layercan have a first thickness in one location and a second thickness in asecond location (and so on). In some embodiments barrier layers can havea thickness that is not less than 2 nanometers (nm), not less than 5 nm,not less than 10 nm, not less than 15 nm, or not less than 20 nm. Insome embodiments barrier layers can have a thickness that is not greaterthan 50 nm, not greater than 45 nm, not greater than 40 nm, or notgreater than 35 nm.

All scientific and technical terms used herein have meanings commonlyused in the art unless otherwise specified. The definitions providedherein are to facilitate understanding of certain terms used frequentlyherein and are not meant to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

As used in this specification and the appended claims, “top” and“bottom” (or other terms like “upper” and “lower”) are utilized strictlyfor relative descriptions and do not imply any overall orientation ofthe article in which the described element is located.

As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singularforms “a”, “an”, and “the” encompass embodiments having pluralreferents, unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.

As used in this specification and the appended claims, the term “or” isgenerally employed in its sense including “and/or” unless the contentclearly dictates otherwise. The term “and/or” means one or all of thelisted elements or a combination of any two or more of the listedelements.

As used herein, “have”, “having”, “include”, “including”, “comprise”,“comprising” or the like are used in their open ended sense, andgenerally mean “including, but not limited to”. It will be understoodthat “consisting essentially of”, “consisting of”, and the like aresubsumed in “comprising” and the like. For example, a conductive tracethat “comprises” silver may be a conductive trace that “consists of”silver or that “consists essentially of” silver.

As used herein, “consisting essentially of,” as it relates to acomposition, apparatus, system, method or the like, means that thecomponents of the composition, apparatus, system, method or the like arelimited to the enumerated components and any other components that donot materially affect the basic and novel characteristic(s) of thecomposition, apparatus, system, method or the like.

The words “preferred” and “preferably” refer to embodiments that mayafford certain benefits, under certain circumstances. However, otherembodiments may also be preferred, under the same or othercircumstances. Furthermore, the recitation of one or more preferredembodiments does not imply that other embodiments are not useful, and isnot intended to exclude other embodiments from the scope of thedisclosure, including the claims.

Also herein, the recitations of numerical ranges by endpoints includeall numbers subsumed within that range (e.g., 1 to 5 includes 1, 1.5, 2,2.75, 3, 3.80, 4, 5, etc. or 10 or less includes 10, 9.4, 7.6, 5, 4.3,2.9, 1.62, 0.3, etc.). Where a range of values is “up to” a particularvalue, that value is included within the range.

Use of “first,” “second,” etc. in the description above and the claimsthat follow is not intended to necessarily indicate that the enumeratednumber of objects are present. For example, a “second” substrate ismerely intended to differentiate from another infusion device (such as a“first” substrate). Use of “first,” “second,” etc. in the descriptionabove and the claims that follow is also not necessarily intended toindicate that one comes earlier in time than the other.

Thus, embodiments of near field transducers (NFTs) and methods offorming the same are disclosed. The implementations described above andother implementations are within the scope of the following claims. Oneskilled in the art will appreciate that the present disclosure can bepracticed with embodiments other than those disclosed. The disclosedembodiments are presented for purposes of illustration and notlimitation.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of forming a NFT, the NFT comprising adisc and a peg, the peg being a portion of a rod, the method comprising:forming the rod, the rod substantially surrounded on the sides by adielectric material, the rod comprising the peg; forming a hard maskpositioned over at least a portion of the rod, the hard mask comprisingat least one layer; patterning a resist mask over the hard mask, theresist mask having an edge positioned over at least a portion of therod; etching a portion of the hard mask to expose a back edge of the rodand to form a back edge of the hard mask, wherein the back edge of therod is equivalent to the back edge of the peg; and wherein a forwardportion of the rod which is the portion of the rod forward of the backedge is covered by the hard mask; forming a disc mask comprising a voidconfigured to form a disc of a NFT, the disc mask being formed over atleast a portion of the hard mask so that the exposed back edge of therod is within the void configured to form the disc; etching an areaexposed in the void of the disc mask to remove both a rear portion ofthe rod and the surrounding dielectric up to the back edge of the hardmask edge; depositing a barrier material over at least the hard mask,the dielectric material and an exposed back edge of the rod; removingthe barrier material from all surfaces except the back edge of the rod;depositing a disc material in the etched void, wherein the back edge ofthe hard mask defines the front edge of the disc and the barriermaterial on the back edge of the rod is in contact with the front edgeof the disc; and polishing the deposited disc material to form a topsurface substantially planar with the top of the forward rod portion. 2.The method according to claim 1 further comprising removing the discmask after the disc material has been deposited in the void.
 3. Themethod according to claim 2 further comprising depositing a seconddielectric material over at least the disc material.
 4. The methodaccording to claim 3 further comprising removing at least a portion ofthe disc material and second dielectric material.
 5. The methodaccording to claim 4 further comprising removing the hard mask beforepolishing the disc.
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the discmask comprises a photoresist mask.
 7. The method according to claim 1,wherein the hard mask comprises at least five (5) layers.
 8. The methodaccording to claim 1 further comprising further defining the shape ofthe disc using additional masking steps.
 9. The method according toclaim 1, wherein the step of patterning the hard mask forms a two piecepatterned hard mask with a front portion and a back portion forming avoid therebetween.
 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein thefront portion comprises the back edge of the hard mask that functions todefine the front edge of the disc and the back portion functions todefine the back edge of the disc.
 11. The method according to claim 10further comprising defining the sidewalls of the disc after depositionof the disc material using a second disc mask.
 12. The method accordingto claim 1, wherein the step of depositing the barrier materialcomprises use of a conformal deposition technique.
 13. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the step of depositing the barriermaterial comprises electroplating.
 14. A method of forming a NFT, theNFT comprising a disc and a peg, the peg being a portion of a rod, themethod comprising: forming the rod, the rod substantially surrounded onthe sides by a dielectric material, the rod comprising the peg; forminga hard mask positioned over at least a portion of the rod, the hard maskcomprising at least one layer; patterning a resist mask over the hardmask, the resist mask having an edge positioned over at least a portionof the rod; etching a portion of the hard mask to expose a back edge ofthe rod and to form a back edge of the hard mask, wherein the back edgeof the rod is equivalent to the back edge of the peg; and wherein aforward portion of the rod which is the portion of the rod forward ofthe back edge is covered by the hard mask; forming a disc maskcomprising a void configured to form a disc of a NFT, the disc maskbeing formed over at least a portion of the hard mask so that theexposed back edge of the rod is within the void configured to form thedisc; etching an area exposed in the void of the disc mask to removeboth a rear portion of the rod and the surrounding dielectric up to theback edge of the hard mask edge; forming a barrier layer using at leasta plating technique adjacent at least the back edge of the rod;depositing a disc material in the etched void, wherein the back edge ofthe hard mask defines the front edge of the disc and the back edge ofthe rod is in contact with the front edge of the disc; and polishing thedeposited disc material to form a top surface substantially planar withthe top of the forward rod portion.
 15. The method according to claim14, wherein the rod is connected to a source of electrical current. 16.The method according to claim 14, wherein the step of forming thebarrier layer comprises forming a structure to contain a platingsolution.
 17. The method according to claim 16 further comprisingremoving the structure to contain the plating solution before the discmaterial is deposited.
 18. A device having an air bearing surface (ABS),the device comprising: a NFT, the NFT comprising: a disc having a frontedge positioned towards the ABS of the device and an opposing back edgeand a top surface and an opposing bottom surface; a peg having a frontsurface adjacent the ABS of the device and an opposing back surface anda top surface and an opposing bottom surface; and a barrier layerbetween the back surface of the peg and the front edge of the disc,wherein the bottom surface of the peg is from about 5 nm to 20 nm abovethe bottom surface of the disc.
 19. The device according to claim 18,wherein the barrier layer comprises bismuth (Bi), arsenic (As), gallium(Ga), germanium (Ge), tellurium (Te), lead (Pb), antimony (Sb), indium(In), tin (Sn), cadmium (Cd), thallium (Tl) silver (Ag), palladium (Pd),platinum (Pt), rhodium (Rh), iridium (Ir), osmium (Os), ruthenium (Ru),technetium (Tc), rhenium (Re), mercury (Hg), chromium (Cr), manganese(Mn), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn),tungsten (W), niobium (Nb), or combinations thereof.
 20. The deviceaccording to claim 19, wherein the barrier layer has a thickness fromabout 5 nm to about 50 nm.